Tales from Metro City
by ForeverAnimated
Summary: A collection of 100 oneshots based around the film.  Some pre, post and during the movie's events.  Features Megamind, Roxanne, Minion, Metro Man, and all the other important citizens of Metro City. Will follow closely to cannon.
1. Introduction

**A/N - Ollo, everyone! ForeverAnimated here, and this is my first attempt at Megamind fanfiction. From the first time I saw the movie, (which was AWESOME, and has earned its spot as number one on my favorite Dreamworks movies list) I knew I would have a mountain of fanfic ideas. Repeated viewings of it have only convinced me even more. I started having all these scattered plot-bunnies in my head, but I couldn't come up with a concrete story that I wanted to tell. Plus, I knew if I started on a multi-chaptered fic, I would end up forgetting about it and not updating for a year, as I have done with so many of my previous fics. **

**So, I came up with the not-so-original idea to do the 100 themes fiction challenge for this movie. This collection of 100 oneshots will all be relating to the movie in some way, with various characters in the spotlight - Megamind, Roxanne, Minion, Metro Man, Hal/Titan, and even Bernard will be making appearances. I want to try and keep these stories as fitting to canon as I possibly can, though there will obviously be some things I will take liberties with - nothing too big, though. Also, no fear: they will all be kept within the same style of the movie, so no really adult themes or language. Some of them will be lighthearted, others may be a bit angsty. Some will take place before the events of the movie, some during the movie, and then others take place many years after the movie. **

**Keep checking back - if my life doesn't get too busy, I hope to be updating semi-frequently. So enjoy, and give reviews! If you post a review, you will most likely get a response back from me.**

**So, behold my first Megamind oneshot, featuring everyone's favorite gloomy, saracastic curator.**

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><p>1. Introduction<p>

Summary: After her report on the construction of the Metro Man museum, Roxanne has an awkward run-in with a certain curator. Pre-movie.

"_I'm not allowed to insult guests directly."_

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><p>"And as the opening day draws near, the city waits with anticipation to pay tribute to its treasured hero and beloved guardian. This is Roxanne Ritchi, reporting live from the almost-finished Metro Man Museum."<p>

Making a "cut" motion with her hand, Roxanne ended the broadcast. Her short, slightly overweight cameraman lowered the video camera and gave the reporter a questioning look.

"Hey Roxie, can I ask you a question?"

_Uh oh, here it comes. I wonder what it could be this time, _Roxanne thought, internally bracing herself for yet another awkward pass from her unrelenting coworker. Still, she smiled politely and said, "Fire away, Hal."

"Do you really think Metro Man is, like, all that?" He shuffled around erratically, "I mean, I know you guys are … _dating_ and all," Roxanne noted the irritated expression that crossed Hal's face with the word 'dating', "but, I mean, is he really all that awesome and whatever?"

Roxanne had an idea of where he has going with this, so she decided to play it cool. There would be no point in trying to explain that she and Metro Man weren't _actually _dating. The whole city believed that they were, and to a certain degree, Roxanne had accepted this role, almost as if it was part of her job description. Despite how annoying it became, not to mention how untrue the rumor was, Roxanne knew that her "relationship" with Metro Man brought in good ratings for the news station, which in turn meant bigger bonuses and more promotions for her. And if the city wanted to believe they were a couple, it would be pointless to try and convince them otherwise.

Besides, Roxanne realized, Hal was the _last _person she wanted to admit this to, because it would only give him more of a reason to pursue her.

She forced a laugh, passing him the microphone she had been holding, "Of course, Hal. He's a hero. The city's lucky to have him." She started to turn and walk up the outside steps of the museum. Directly in front of them, some construction men were finishing up some last minute touches on the Metro Man statue, which was to be the crowning jewel of the museum.

Hal followed clumsily after her. "No, what I mean is, like, do _you_ find him all that? I mean, on camera you always talk about him as if she's some – I don't know – like, amazing dude or something."

This time Roxanne's laugh was a bit more genuine. This guy had _got_ to be kidding himself.

"Hal, Metro Man is a superhero. Of course he's amazing. There aren't many people in this world with laser vision and super-strength, you know." She stopped and gazed up at the enormous statue in front of her. Metro Man's figure stood confidently, lifting a giant globe up over his head, his large biceps flexed.

"Well, yeah, that's cool and all," Hal came right over and, much to Roxanne's annoyance, planted himself right next to her. Reluctantly, she turned to face him. "But, he's still just a guy. He's not even there for you half the time. You know, if I were him, I'd be by your side all the time. Megamind wouldn't even dare try and kidnap you."

Roxanne didn't even know what to say, she just smiled absently and nodded. "Really, Hal?"

"Yeah, I totally would," He bragged, "And I'd be there for you always, unlike Metro Man."

Roxanne shook her head sadly. Hal was the only guy in the city who would even consider saying such things about Metro Man. Well, aside from Megamind, but still – Megamind was Metro Man's nemesis. He was supposed to say those kind of things to put down the hero.

She decided to come to the defense of the city's protector. "Now, Hal, that's not really fair, you know. Metro Man has a lot of duties as a superhero. He can't be my side all the time." _Not that I would want him to be anyway, _Roxanne thought to herself.

Hal gave an overdramatic sigh, and Roxanne fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I just don't see why people think he's such a hero," he added bitterly.

Roxanne hesitated for a moment, and then decided that she really didn't want to continue this conversation. It felt wrong somehow. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Hal." She said, forcing her voice to sound pleasant.

"Wait a minute, you aren't riding back with me?" Hal questioned.

"No, I decided I'd check out the museum a little more first." For one time, she wasn't stretching the truth to get away from him. She was genuinely interested in exploring the museum some more. They had only passed through quickly when they did their broadcast, and Roxanne, being the nosy reporter that she was, decided that she wanted to take a more in-depth look.

"Oh, okay. That's cool I guess." Hal conceded. She could tell he didn't want to leave her side, but she could also see that he was reluctant to stay in any place where they were honoring Roxanne's supposed boyfriend. "So I'll see you on Monday? And maybe we can get coffee in the morning?" He added hopefully.

"Uh, maybe…I might have work to do."

"Well, okay," Hal backed away slowly, still hesitant to leave. "I guess … maybe … we'll just see each other then and figure out … yeah. Well… bye, Roxie." He finally turned around and descended the marble steps.

Roxanne breathed a sigh of relief and walked on, keeping her gaze in front of her, and trying to get a safe distance away from her departing coworker. When she was finally inside the museum and out of view, she slowed, shaking her head silently and allowing herself to collect her thoughts. Hal was really becoming unbearable. She wondered briefly if she should mention his behavior to her boss, but then realized it would do no good. While he was awkward and persistent, he had never done any real harm to her. He was little more than a slight nuisance, and would it really be fair to get him in trouble for that?

Remembering what she was here to do, Roxanne pushed her thoughts about Hal out of her head, and continued walking over to some of the half-finished displays, thankful that her press-pass allowed her access to the building. It meant that she would truly have a first-hand look, and she wouldn't have to bother with fighting the crowds on opening day. She still would have to go on opening day, for appearance's sake, so she would truly enjoy having the museum all to herself now, with the exception of some of the construction men and a few of the museum employees milling about here and there.

As far as she could tell from what was already assembled, the first floor was split into two sections that connected in back, with two separate entrances from the front outside. She had entered through the "Hero" side, where there were not only displays regarding Metro Man, but other heroes through history as well. Along the wall, she noticed a few long, flowing banners which read phrases such as "bravery", "strength," and "determination." Roxanne smiled wistfully. Those were the qualities of a true hero.

She went on to read panels about Metro Man's super senses. On one, there was a large diagram of his eye, detailing the unique structure that allowed him to channel his laser vision. She walked on. Towards one wall, she saw two large models of DNA strands. One was labeled "human", and the other was labeled, "Metro Man." She could immediately tell the difference – Metro Man's DNA seemed to contain three helixes instead of two, as well as more nucleotides. This was probably what accounted for his super-strength, Roxanne realized.

Roxanne worked her way to the back, reading panels along the way, until she came to the second section of the museum: the "Villians" side. She smirked to herself. Now she could see just how accurate this information was. She knew that the public had a certain perception of Megamind, and she also knew just how little they really knew about the man with the blue skin and oversized cranium. He had been kidnapping her for years, and in a strange way, she took pride in the fact that she was probably the only person in Metro City, aside from Metro Man himself, who saw the villain for who he really was: a rebel with a hunger for attention, who employed a variety of oh-so-predictable "torture" devices on her, and loved to banter over-dramatically with his super-powered rival. No big deal.

She was surprised to find, however, just how sparse this section of the museum was. True, they were in the midst of construction, but still, there was very little information concerning her frequent kidnapper.

Ironic, she thought, for all the trouble that he stirs up and all the negative-attention he thrusts upon himself, there was very little that the city cared to know about the man whom their hero fought with the most often.

She was about to make her way up the escalator, when she paused for a moment to look through the glass windows of the museum, out to the statue of Metro Man. Hal's words suddenly came echoing back to her: "I just don't see why people think he's such a hero."

Roxanne had to admit, sometimes Hal made some unknowingly insightful comments.

The reporter sighed as she took in the sight of the statue. She always felt that it was a little over-the-top. Then again, that was the way the city viewed him, and that was the way she always painted him in her broadcasts. He was the hero - the city's savior.

And yes, Metro Man had done heroic things. Aside from battling Megamind on a semi-regular basis, the superhero had also stopped robberies, saved families from burning buildings, and even helped retrieve kittens that were stuck in trees.

But still … did that really qualify him as a _true _hero?

Roxanne hated to be thinking about him in this manner, but it was a question that had been in the back of her mind for a while, and now, looking at the statue, she started to ponder it again. _Bravery, strength, _and _determination: _those were the qualities of a true hero.

Was Metro Man brave? She had heard somewhere that true courage was about being scared to death, yet plunging right into disaster anyway, in order to do the right thing. She sincerely doubted that there was any time in Metro Man's life where he was truly scared. After all, nothing could harm the man. He was invulnerable.

Was Metro Man strong? Well, physically – he certainly was. But Roxanne knew that strength was more than that. It was inner strength – the strength of character – that mattered the most.

Was Metro Man determined? She realized that she didn't know if she had a concrete answer to this one. He was certainly prompt in arriving to save her whenever she was kidnapped. But if the chips were down, would he truly be there for her and for the city?

Realizing that she was doing no good just standing there and thinking, Roxanne turned from her position by the window, and suddenly collided with something – no, someone.

Everything happened too fast. The impact shocked her, and the man gave a low "oof", as she knocked him back slightly. His hand, carrying a half empty Styrofoam cup of coffee, jerked and splashed the coffee all over himself.

Roxanne took a step back and gasped. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" She apologized, reaching out hesitantly and surveying the man she had knocked into. He was about her height, but skinny, with a large mess of unruly blonde hair and glasses.

The disgruntled man drenched in coffee let out a low groan and looked up at his assailant. "No, it's alright," he said in a tone which clearly implied that it _wasn't_ all right, "I just love getting my coffee spilled all over me."

Roxanne winced slightly. She was feeling terribly bad about the whole thing.

"I'm sorry," She began digging around in her coat pockets until she came up with a packet of tissues. "Here, let me help you," she offered.

"No need," The man said abruptly, putting his hands up defensively. "I've got a change of clothes in my office. You've done enough."

Roxanne frowned. This guy was not making it easy for her, and she already felt bad enough as it was.

"Well, at least allow me to buy you another cup of coffee," she said, gesturing to the now empty cup. The man groaned again, and she took that as an agreement. "It was regular, right? And how many creamers do you take?"

"Two," The man replied gruffly, as he started to walk back to where Roxanne assumed his office was located, "And five packets of sugar. Shaken not stirred."

"Right. Okay, I'll just be a minute then." Roxanne quickly darted out the door and to her car, to head towards the nearest coffee shop.

She returned a few moments later with a steaming hot beverage and some napkins, and she found the man right where she had left him, dressed in khaki-pants with a blue turtleneck and a brown suit jacket.

"Finally," he said with a slight sneer, as Roxanne handed him his coffee. "I was beginning to think you had left the scene of the crime."

Roxanne offered him a very polite, yet forced, smile. "I really am so sorry for all of that earlier. I was so deep in thought that I guess I just wasn't watching where I was going."

"Apparently," he dead-panned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

The reporter decided to ignore that comment and offered the man her hand. "Well, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Roxanne Ritchi, I work for the…"

The man coldly ignored her hand. "I _know_ who you are. You're the reporter who Megamind always kidnaps."

Roxanne let out a small, polite laugh, withdrawing her hand awkwardly and using it to brush her bangs back. "Yes, that seems to be how everyone in the city knows me."

"Not me," the man replied dully, "Not anymore. Now, you'll always be the woman who made me spill my coffee."

"Yeah…" Roxanne said awkwardly. Wow, this guy sure had a way of making a girl feel right at home.

"May I ask what you're doing here … in the museum … when it _hasn't opened yet_?" The man asked rudely.

"Well, I've been doing a broadcast on the soon-to-be opening of this museum," Roxanne explained, "And so I've just been exploring."

"You mean taking advantage of your position as a member of the press to gain access to the museum before its opening." The man pointed out, an un-amused scowl etched into his face.

Roxanne gritted her teeth. "And I don't believe I've caught your name…" She said, trying as best as she could to maintain her composure and politeness after his very pointed comment.

"Bernard," The man said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Roxanne noticed that he had a bit of drawl to his voice.

"So, Bernard, I take it you work here?"

"Yes," he responded, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm one of the curators – the only one for the villain section," he gestured half-heartedly to the room in which they were standing. "I'm an expert on all things Megamind." He added, a superior-sounding edge starting to creep into his rather nasal voice.

"Really?" Roxanne had to admit: her interest was piqued. "That's funny. From the looks of things, this section seems pretty bare."

"You do realize that the museum is still _under construction_, don't you?" Bernard said sourly.

"Of course, I do. I guess I was just expecting it to be further along in development, that's all." Roxanne wondered why she was still talking to this man. Aside from Hal, he was probably the most unpleasant guy to converse with. Hadn't he ever heard of anything called emotion?

She continued, however, too curious about the museum to be dissuaded. "So, Bernard, what can you tell me about the Metro Man Museum?"

"Is this an interview?" He asked with a slight whine.

Roxanne blinked. "Uh … no, of course not."

"Good," Bernard said simply. He paused for a moment, making Roxanne feel slightly uncomfortable, until he began again, his voice completely devoid of emotion, "The left side of the Metro Man Museum contains all the information one would ever hope to find on Metro Man: his powers, his origins, his childhood, et cetera." Roxanne noticed that he talked as if he was reading out of a phonebook. "This section is the villains section, where one can read information regarding some of Megamind's past plots, as well as a detailed list of all the crimes he's committed against the city, and some theories regarding his depraved criminal mind."

Roxanne almost laughed at this. Depraved criminal mind? She knew Megamind well enough to realize that, although he was a criminal, there was nothing in his behavior that suggested he was depraved. The more time she spent as his captive, the more she realized that he was just a ridiculous, childish man who acted out to draw attention to himself. She did not tell Bernard that, though, for fear that he would quite possibly mock her observations.

Suddenly, she had a thought. Although Bernard was probably the most cold and emotionless individual she had ever met, it would probably be wise to keep in contact with him. Who knows? He could be of some use to her, maybe even provide information she needed for future broadcasts.

"What else do you need to know?" Bernard asked, sounding bored out of his mind.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could maybe get your number," Roxanne admitted, "You being an expert on Megamind and all, as well as the curator of this museum, you might be able to provide some useful information for some of my upcoming broadcasts."

Bernard groaned. "I knew it. This was an interview." Before Roxanne could respond, he whipped a small business card out of his suit jacket. "Cell phone number is written on the back," he muttered, handing her the slip of paper.

"Thank you very much, Bernard." Roxanne said, flashing him what she liked to call "her camera smile."

"Don't know why I bothered." He added. "After all, you did spill my coffee."

Roxanne's camera smile faded. He was never going to let her live that down, was he?

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><p><strong>So, there you have it! When Roxanne met Bernard...<strong>

**Okay, so this whole idea for this oneshot came from some of the lines in the film, when Roxanne is talking to the real Bernard. She obviously has met him before, and I assumed their meeting was less than pleasant due to the whole, "I didn't know you had feelings," line. And we know that she does have his cell phone number - since she was able to get in contact with Bernard/Megamind. That left me wondering why and how she got it, and the story kind of came from there.**

**I originally wasn't planning on having Hal there at the beginning or have Roxanne wonder about Metro Man's heroism. But then I realize if Roxanne is doing a broadcast, she'll need her cameraman there, so that put Hal there and gave me a chance to write awkward moments for the both of them. (And I have to admit, writing for Hal was a little more fun than I anticipated. lol.)**

**The whole "Heroes and Villains" side of the museum came from my observations of the movie. When Roxanne enters the museum in the beginning, you'll notice that everything surrounding her is related to Metro Man and there's even a pillar towards the one side with the word "heroes" on it. When Megamind enters, he enters from the opposite side, and you can see a little model of what looks like his "Spi-yi-der" bot. Aside from that, there is very little in the room around him, and nothing Metro Man related. That gave me the idea that the different sides are housing different information. Plus, the fact that Bernard is on staff there when he is "an expert on all things Megamind" gives an indication that at least some of the museum is dedicated to the villain. (On a side note, I thought it was really cool how, during the movie, Roxanne enters through the one side and Megamind enters through the other, yet when they go down after Megamind is disguised as Bernard, they both exit through the "heroes" side. Very clever foreshadowing, creators. Very clever foreshadowing, indeed...)**

**Bernard spilling coffee was sort of borrowed from another fanfiction, in which Bernard/Megamind gets coffee spilled on him by Roxanne and they have a little chat about their relationship. For the life of me, I cannot remember what the name of that fanfiction is. But if you recognize the moment, that is where it came from.**

**And I hope I made Bernard in-character. OOC characters in fanfiction are a pet peeve of mine, so please let me know how I did in your reviews. It is hard to write for Bernard, since he has very few lines in the movie to begin with.**

**And also, Roxanne's perspective of Megamind is obviously NOT the way she feels about him after the movie. This was how she viewed him before she got to know him better through the Bernard disguise, and before he became the hero. Due to the way she treats him in the beginning of the movie, I imagine this would be the way she views him.**

**So, that's about it in terms of author's notes. Please review! I'm curious to know what you all think.**


	2. Love

**_A/N - _**Just wanted to thank the person who left a review for the last oneshot. You rock! For you, here is the next oneshot. I'm hoping to get more than one review for this one. I love getting feedback on my stories - even if it's not necessarily praise, because constructive criticism makes me a better writer. So please, if you enjoy this one, don't hesitate at all to leave a review. And I most likely will respond back, since I love reviews and reviewers so much.

So, here is the next oneshot. Personally, I think it's a lot better than the first one, since it's a lot less dry. (Maybe it has something to do with the lack of Bernard in this one, huh? lol) Enjoy!

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><p>2. Love<p>

Summary: Many years ago, his parents saved him from their planet's fate. Megamind wonders why. Pre-movie.

"_I came from, what you might call, a broken home. Literally broken."_

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><p>It was late. Very late. In fact, it was so late, it was almost morning. It was the time when most couples on the planet would be asleep.<p>

But there was one couple who just couldn't sleep. They didn't want to be asleep. They were both very much awake, savoring the peace and tranquility of the late night. The wife was lying in a hospital bed, dressed in a standard white hospital gown, and covered by a blue hospital blanket. She was cradling a small newborn baby in her arms, wrapped in hospital blankets – the same color as the ones which covered her bed. Her husband was sitting diligently by her right, at the very edge of the bed.

"He's so beautiful," The woman whispered breathily. The baby's brilliant green eyes gazed up at the azure-colored man and woman who were looking adoringly back at him.

"He sure is," The man responded gently, stretching out his hand toward the infant. Fascinated by the long, slender fingers in front of him, the baby reached out and grabbed hold of his father's index finger.

A giant smile spread across the bearded man's face. "Look at you!" He cooed. The boy continued to play with his father's finger for a while, before finally releasing it from his impressively strong grip.

"You're such a smart, handsome little guy! I really shouldn't be surprised though – you take after your father."

The blue woman next to him raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

The man turned to his left, ducking his head and giving his wife a sheepish grin. "Well, yeah, but not as much as he takes after his absolutely gorgeous mother, of course! I mean, look at that face, and those striking emerald eyes…"

The mother in question gave an amused smirk. "Nice save, Mr. Smooth," She teased.

He simply shrugged, "Eh, I do what I can."

The woman chuckled at her husband's awkwardness. She was tempted to leave it at that, but she just couldn't resist toying a bit with his ego. "It's a good thing you're cute," she said with a mischievous smile.

Her husband let out a long, overdramatic gasp. "What's that supposed to mean?" He cried, clutching at his chest, and putting on his best "injured" face. "My dear, how you wound me!"

But his wife wasn't falling for it. "Just kiss me."

He dropped his hurt expression and instantly broke out into his signature goofy grin. "Happy to oblige," he replied as he leaned in.

Watching his parents, the baby let out a happy gurgle. He saw the way in which these two looked at each other, the warmth and tenderness in their eyes, their lovingly playful dialogue, and they way they smiled when they kissed.

Breaking out of the kiss, the man was the first to speak. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Right back at'cha, handsome."

Turning his attention back to his son, the man gave a sincere, gentle smile. "And we love you so much, little man."

They both leaned down and each planted a soft kiss atop their son's smooth blue head.

-o-

It was late. Very late. In fact, it was so late, that it was almost morning. It was the time when most people in the city would be asleep.

But there were two people who were still awake. Well, one person and a talking fish in a robotic gorilla suit.

Minion was slightly worried about his boss. Being with the blue, big-headed man since he was eight days-old, the fish could tell when there was something bothering him. And tonight was one of those nights. Megamind was staying up late, dismissing Minion's suggestions to go to bed. While this wasn't all that out of the ordinary, (the man had often stayed up late to work on his latest evil schemes or to tinker around with new inventions) Megamind's behavior certainly was. Instead of busying himself with a project, he was instead sitting in his favorite high-backed leather swivel-chair, staring blankly ahead at the various notes and papers suspended from the ceiling as well as his blackboard, which was covered with various scribbles and mathematical equations that Minion couldn't possibly make heads or tails of.

The fish approached his master cautiously. No telling how he would react when he was in one of these moods. It wasn't too often that he got like this, being generally a very energetic, sprightly guy, but when he did, it was never good.

"Everything okay, sir?" Minion asked gently, taking a couple steps closer to the back of the chair his boss was sitting in. "You seem a bit … distant tonight."

Megamind didn't respond right away. Minion briefly wondered if he had even heard him.

"I … I'm fine, Minion. It's nothing." Megamind said, a bit too quickly.

Minion knew better. "Then why won't you go to bed, sir? There's obviously something on your mind. If you talked with me about it, you might feel better."

No response. Minion was about to walk around to the front and face him, when the chair suddenly swirled around to display a very morose looking Megamind dressed in his pajamas.

"Why did they do it?" He asked simply.

"Sir?" Minon questioned. "Who's 'they'?"

Megamind let out a heavy sigh, then swallowed. His brilliant emerald eyes traveled upwards until he met the golden-brown gaze of his fish companion.

"My parents." The blue-skinned villain blinked quickly, almost as if he was holding back tears. "Why did they send me here, to this planet? Why did they try to save me? They could have just kept me with them. At least, we could've all been … you know … together."

Minion took a deep breath. His parents were always a sensitive subject for Megamind. It was best to approach this question delicately. "I … I don't know, sir. But if I had to venture a guess … I'd say it's because they loved you."

"Love?" The word felt strangely foreign on Megamind's tongue, even though he had definitely heard it before. The villain stroked his goatee-covered chin, deep in thought.

Love was one of those words that was said by the characters on those silly television shows that Minion enjoyed watching. The word also came up in some of the many books Megamind had read.

From his reading, Megamind learned that there were various different types of love. There was brotherly love, or friendship, as it was sometimes called. He knew that many of the inmates from prison had this kind of brotherhood. He also suspected that he and Minion shared this as well – although he hesitated to refer to that companionship as love.

Then, there was, of course, romantic love. Megamind assumed that this was the most popular form of love, and from what he read in books and saw from television, this assumption seemed to be correct. This was the kind of love that Roxanne Ritchi had for that do-gooder boyfriend of hers. This was also the kind of love that Megamind knew he would never, ever get a chance to experience. It was true what they said – the bad guy didn't get the girl. He had accepted that long ago.

But then, there was a third kind of love he had read about - a love so much more mysterious and elusive than all the other types. It was _agape, _or unconditional love. This was the kind of love that loved even when the one being loved had done nothing to deserve it. Megamind had read that this type of love could cause a person to do some pretty crazy things on behalf of their beloved. It was a pure, selfless love – it was the kind of love that would make someone willing to let go of what they held dear in order to assure that their loved one would be safe.

Megamind wondered … could this be the type of love Minion was referring to?

The fish could see the wheels in his boss's enormous head turning. Then he saw a strange sort of glimmer in Megamind's eyes. It was a glimmer that he hadn't seen in a long time. It was almost a hopeful sort of glimmer.

"Yes, sir," Minion continued. "They did love you. They would have done anything for you."

"Anything?" Megamind asked, "Even if it meant that they wouldn't be with their son as they…" Megamind's voice broke off. He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

Minion nodded understandingly. "Yes, sir. They loved you that much."

Megamind sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples in confusion. "But … why?"

"Well, I don't think there is a 'why', sir. It's just the way it is. That's how parents are."

"Really?" Megamind's voice rose in what Minion could only describe as child-like wonder. "Are all parents like this?"

"Most." Minon responded with a nod. "I mean, they should be. They wouldn't be very good parents if they weren't."

Megamind fell silent, deciding to chew on that thought for a while. Unconditional love. Love without reason. It just didn't seem very logical to him. It didn't seem very evil. Yet somehow, it felt … right.

Suddenly, the blue-skinned mastermind rose from his chair with a tired sigh. "I'm going to bed," he announced.

"That sounds like a good idea, sir," Minion said, relieved that his boss seemed to be reasonable once again. "You're going to need to save your strength for our next evil plot."

"Thank you, Minion," Megamind replied with a grateful smile. "You really are a fantastic fish."

Minion beamed. "Anytime, sir."

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><p><em><strong>AN - **_So, when I first saw this prompt, I was tempted to make it a fluffy Megamind/Roxanne oneshot. But since that's been done to death for this prompt, then I decided to go with something a little less predictable. (Don't worry, Megamind and Roxanne will get plenty of oneshots centered on them in the near future.) That got me thinking about the different types of love that can be seen - both in the movie and in real life - and then this fic idea was born.

You've probably noticed that I didn't give Megamind's parents names. That was because I really couldn't think of anything that sounded good and hadn't been used before in other fics, and I didn't want it to detract from the story too much, so I decided to leave that up to the reader's imagination. I also decided I wanted to portray them differently than I've seen in other fics. You might notice that their banter sounds a bit familiar. ;) I decided to roll with the whole "guys like girls who remind them of their mother idea," hence why the personality of Megamind's mother might resemble a certain reporter we all know.

Also, Megamind is totally the type of guy who would be trying to analyze an abstract idea such of love, and trying to make sense of it. He's not clueless about it; it's just something that he doesn't really get because he's never really seen it in his life before.

And of course Megamind would be having these thoughts about his parents. Good thing his buddy Minion is there to answer them. Seriously, what would Megamind be without that fantastic fish?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! This one was fun to write. Don't know when the next update will be, but it will probably be soon.


	3. Light

_**A/N**_ – Wow, been a long time, huh? I apologize for not updating sooner. My muse had left me for quite some time, and it was hard coming up with good ideas for anything creative. But she (my muse) is back now, so enjoy this long overdue oneshot. And yes, this one's Megamind/Roxanne. Oh, and thank you to all my wonderful reviewers for commenting on the past two chapters.

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><p>3. Light<p>

Summary: No matter how much he claimed to be "of the darkness" in the past, he still shone brighter than any man she ever knew. Post-movie.

"_Maybe Megamind isn't so bad after all."_

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><p>It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in Metro City. Because she had devoted most of yesterday to cleaning up the "not-so-evil lair" which she now, ironically enough, called her home, Roxanne felt that she owed it to herself to spend a nice quiet afternoon relaxing.<p>

Normally this would be the kind of afternoon that she would spend with her husband, but since the blue-skinned hero was on one of his daily patrols of the city, along with Minion, Roxanne had the lair to herself … well, aside from the brainbots, of course.

She decided to go through one of the unlabeled boxes that she had found during her clean-up yesterday, which contained some old pictures and newspaper clippings. Some had been collected over the years by her, and some were from Megamind. It was impossible to tell whose was whose, since it had all been shoved together in one box somehow. She was slightly surprised that it hadn't been sorted yet, seeing as how both her and her husband appreciated organization, but she suspected it had been one of those tasks that they had just never gotten around to due to their busy lives, and that had simply been forgotten about over the year.

After bringing the cardboard box into the bedroom, Roxanne perched on the edge of the bed and set the box down at her feet. She dug through it and pulled out a medium-sized black leather bound photo album. She smiled when she saw her husband's insignia in the bottom right corner. Definitely Megamind's.

She swung her legs up onto the bed and reclined against her pillows. A brainbot who had been aimlessly wandering the rooms saw her, floated down, and nestled up to her side. Stroking the brainbot's glass dome with one hand, she began flipping through the album.

The first page she flipped to had a large black and white photo square in the center. It was of her husband, many years younger of course, standing beside a rather large cylindrical contraption, his face, although contorted into his infamous evil smirk, still somehow beaming with pride at his invention.

"Wait a minute, I recognize that machine," Roxanne murmured to herself, "That's his first invention - the giant magnet that attracted all the metal objects in the city."

Sure enough, right beneath the picture there was a description, written in Megamind's handwriting: _"The Magnetacisor, June 8, 2000."_

Roxanne then realized what this book was. It was a photo album chronicling all of his evil inventions, back when he was a villain. And this was his first.

She looked at the date. Wow, was it really almost twelve years ago? Her husband would have been twenty when he officially started his career as the resident supervillian – ten years before he would make the switch from villain to hero, and five years before he would start kidnapping her on a regular basis.

"That seems like almost a lifetime ago," she realized as she continued to flip through the book.

She looked at all of his evil inventions, chuckling when she reached the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em kittens. How could she ever forget that outlandish, yet thoroughly amusing evil plot?

As she turned each page of the book and glanced at each picture, she began to reflect back on all the memories of the past.

She remembered her first kidnapping. She remembered the first time shortly afterward when she realized that he wouldn't hurt her during those kidnappings. She remembered the first time when she realized he'd never actually succeed in his villainous plans. And she remembered the first time she actually began to question whether or not he was evil at all.

He always tried to prove her wrong. He always tried to convince her of his badness. He was always dressed in black leather with spikes. Always practicing his evil laugh. Always threatening her with "scary" death traps. Always keeping his lairs cold and dark. Always trying to look intimidating, even though he really never was, at least to her.

He always claimed to be "of the dark", but in her eyes he shone brighter than any man she'd ever known.

She realized that she always had some sort of idea of his hidden depths back when she was being kidnapped by him, although she never really stopped to consider it. He always had this excitement and energy about him. He would dart around pushing buttons and pulling levers gleefully, laughing like a kid on a sugar high. To some this may have seemed … well, psychotic. Even to her at times. But if she had been honest with herself in the past, she would have admitted that it was somewhat endearing to see a grown man so passionate about something – even if his energy was focused in the wrong place.

This excitement about life became more apparent when she had spent time with him as Bernard, and after the Titan incident, when they started dating for real. His joy and enthusiasm had always been infectious for her. When she had a stressful day at work, spending time with him always put her in a good mood.

Although he really surprised her about how serious he could be, too. The more time he spent as the city's defender, the more he thought about his honor and integrity. He wasn't cheesy about it either, like Metro Man had been. With Metro Man, it had all been a show. To Megamind, this was for real. She had become proud of him for all the changes he had made in that year, how he had matured without losing his child-like sense of enthusiasm that she had come to love about him.

Everyone in the city had been wrong about him, and they were realizing it then. In the past, the media had called him many things. Monster, cold-hearted villain, evil incarnate. Even she hadn't been immune to spicing up her reports with such wording at times. But now she knew they were all wrong. She was all wrong.

He had never been the darkness. He had been the light.

"Roxanne! We're back!" Her head jerked up from the album at the sound of her husband's voice. She gingerly placed the book down on the bed and walked from the room and down the stairs to main part of the lair.

Her husband was standing in the center of the room, handing his cape off to a nearby brainbot, as the others huddled around him. Minion was gone, most likely polishing the invisible car, like he did every week when they returned from their patrols.

As the brainbots parted from their daddy, Roxanne sauntered up and greeted her husband with a strong hug and a lingering kiss on the lips.

Megamind smiled. "Well, what was that about? Not that I'm complaining."

She laughed. "I've just been thinking this afternoon."

"Oh really?" He said in his delightful baritone voice, "About what?"

"You," Roxanne said, before kissing him again.

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><p><em><strong>AN -** _Aww, gotta love some fluff. :)

I love writing the two of them in the future, after their relationship has progressed. It's always nice to envision what their lives will be like a few years after the movie left us off.

As far as the dates go in this story, I just went with the ones that made the most sense to me. I was hesitant about picking dates, since the movie feels timeless, but I wanted to make an accurate notation for the picture in the album. The way I figure it, Megamind was a villian pretty much after the "shool-house incident," but didn't become a big time supervillian to the public until he was twenty. Why? I don't know; I just can't imagine an 6-year-old terrorizing the city on such a grand scale. His evil was probably relegated to small-time tasks at the prison for a while, until he broke out in his teens and did minor offenses like stealing cars and whatnot. Once he became a villian in Metro City, I imagine he didn't start kidnapping Roxanne until later either. Maybe she didn't become a reporter until later or didn't catch Metro's eye until then. It's just the way I imagine it. Try not to get hung up over those details. :)

And yes, the magnet machine is from the picture in the newspaper at the very beginning of the movie.

Also wanted to mention that this piece is probably going to be somewhat of a companion piece with the next prompt: Dark.


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